


The harmless phantoms on their errands glide

by htbthomas



Category: Ghosts (TV 2019)
Genre: Extra Gift, Gen, Ghosts, Halloween, Reveal, Trick or Treat: Treat, Trick or Treating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:07:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27227053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/htbthomas/pseuds/htbthomas
Summary: Kitty gave the child a cheery wave. As usual. Just because most people couldn't see her didn't mean she shouldn't be friendly.The child screamed.It was All Hallows’ Eve, after all. Ghosts are said to have more power on this night.
Comments: 12
Kudos: 80
Collections: Trick or Treat Exchange 2020





	The harmless phantoms on their errands glide

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Verecunda](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Verecunda/gifts).



> Thank you to feroxargentea for the beta!
> 
> Title from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: "Haunted Houses" (1858).

"But it's tradition!" Julian was shouting, loudly enough that Kitty needed to cover her ears, though she kept smiling. "We always watch a slasher film on Halloween!"

"I think you mean All Hallows’ Eve," Lady Button corrected, followed by Thomas' "All Saints’ Eve, rather," and a grumble of "Bring in Crops Moonah Day" from Robin. 

"I know, I know," Pat said, hands raised against the arguing as usual, "but it's Alison and Mike's first Halloween"—a grumble sprang up again and he talked over it—"in the house, and they should get to decide what we do."

"They're not even here!" Julian shouted again, and Kitty scooted farther away from him, still smiling. Holidays were always such fun. "They are dressing up like they're going to a party. I was hoping for a little slutty nurse from Alison, or even Elvira." He mimed a plunging neckline. "But—"

"A party!" Kitty squealed. Parties were even better than holidays. "Here?"

Lady Button's scowl deepened. "Not here, I hope! I will have nothing to do with this modern twisting of a holy day of prayer."

Pat was glancing out of the window. "Not here, I think..." He wandered toward it, mouth opening in surprise. "Are those...?" A grand smile came over his face. "Trick or Treaters?"

Kitty jumped up from the sofa and ran to join him at the window. "Trick or Treaters! What are those?" It sounded like such fun. Though the sun had almost set, she could just make out a couple of adults and three children standing beside the Button House gate. The little ones were dressed up—one in a long white sheet, another covered in fake fur and the last, um, she thought it was called a "superhero," from those films that she sometimes watched with Mike in the bedroom. She liked those. But seeing one in person was splendid! "Children? In fancy dress? How exciting!"

"Oh, that's right," Pat said, smiling. Kitty knew how much Pat enjoyed children when he was alive. Except the one that had shot him with an arrow, of course. "You've never seen Trick or Treaters. It's like Guising, do you remember that? The former Lady Button didn't allow them."

"And neither did I!" Lady Button said, coming to stand on Pat's other side. "Instead of asking for Soul Cakes and promises of prayers for the family, they turned into little hooligans doing tricks for sweets!"

Soon the rest of the group was gathered around them. "How cute they are!", "What are those wicked orange skulls in their hands?", "Is that supposed to be a… ghost? I never."

The front door opened then, and Alison and Mike stepped out, gesturing for the children to come inside the gates. Alison was dressed in a long black robe with a hood, and Mike was looking like a brown sort of lizard thing. Oh, a dinosaur, from that other film she watched with him. How clever! He carried a large silver tureen filled with plastic-wrapped treats. 

"The good silver?" Lady Button said, "for this mockery? Not on my watch!" She disappeared, and moments later followed them outside, waggling her finger at Alison, who ignored her with an awkward shifting of her head.

"I want to see them, too!" Kitty said. "The little darlings in their finery." She let herself sink through the floor, a straight shot to the entryway.

"How did they even know to come?!" Lady Button was haranguing Alison. "We Buttons have always made it perfectly clear that no 'Hallowe'en'"—she imbued the word with such distaste—"celebrants are welcomed here."

Alison shook her head strongly and turned toward the children now walking toward the house, calling out, "We're so glad you came to see us! Looks like spreading the word around the village worked, didn't it, Mike?"

"You," Lady Button fluttered her hands helplessly, "did this on purpose?!"

Kitty applauded happily. What a great idea! This was almost like a treat for Kitty, from her best friend! What a great best friend she was. Then the little girl in the sheet asked, "Do you want to hear my trick?"

"Please," Alison told her solemnly.

"How do ghosts wash their hair?"

"Oh, I know this one!" Kitty cried. "They don't! Water goes right through them!"

But the little girl didn't hear her, as usual, so she continued. "With shamboo!"

"Very clever!" Mike said, applauding. Kitty applauded more. What a funny answer!

At that moment, the sun slipped below the horizon. The little girl dug her hand into the tureen of sweets and came up with a big one, bigger than her hand. She laughed in triumph, looking into Alison's eyes, but then her gaze skittered past Alison's shoulder. Directly into Kitty's.

Kitty gave her a cheery wave. As usual. Just because most people couldn't see her didn't mean she shouldn't be friendly.

The child screamed.

She dropped the chocolate bar and scrambled back a few steps. Then she looked at Lady Button as well, and Pat, who had come out of the house as well, and screamed again.

"What?" Alison asked, concerned. Mike looked all around him, trying to find the source of the girl's fear.

"Ghosts!" She tripped over the trailing edge of her sheet as the gravel got under her shoes.

Her brothers looked up from the sweets then, the older one and the younger one. "Aw, it's just a trick, Amelia," the older one said. "Like a hologram or something."

"They can see us!" Kitty said to Alison, then to Lady Button. "You can really see us?!"

"No, surely they can't—" Pat said, and then noticed that the little boy was miming an arrow stuck through his neck and laughing.

By this time, the children's parents had come up from the gate. "What's all this?" the father asked. "Amelia, are you all right?"

"She got scared by the holograms, Dad, it's nothing." The older one went back to selecting sweets for his bag.

The mother frowned at her husband. "What...holograms?"

"This one, Mum," the older one said, waving his arm through Lady Button.

Lady Button gagged, and choked out, "My word!" before clutching her stomach.

The little one ran straight through Pat, who yelled, "Watch it, you little rascal!" before doubling over.

"Can't catch me!" Kitty called toward Amelia, shifting side to side to tempt her into a game of chase. She didn't want to be left out!

Amelia went to press herself against her mother's side. "I don't know what you—" the father said, frowning as hard as his wife.

Alison, eyes wild, laughed a little too loudly. "Only kids can see them, you know! Like those, um, mosquito ringtones that used to be all the rage?"

"Yeah," Mike agreed awkwardly. "They're really realistic, right, kids?"

The older one shrugged. "I've seen better."

"All right," the mother said, gesturing to all three. "Come on, Oliver, Jack. Say thank you."

They did, even Amelia, and Kitty called back, "You're welcome! See you later, Oliver! Jack! Amelia!" They all flinched a little at their names being called, and Amelia even gave a shy wave back. Jack pointed up toward the second storey window where the others were gathered, talking excitedly. Lovely children.

When they were back to their car, Alison turned on the ghosts. "They could see you?!" she asked, shocked.

"And hear us!" Kitty added.

"Seems so," Pat said, watching the car crunch its way down the long drive. "That's never happened before."

"Well," Mike said, scratching at the back of his head, "it is All Hallows’ Eve. They do say that ghosts have more power on this night."

"Maybe... Pity only the children could see you," Alison said, glancing at Mike with disappointment. 

Kitty didn't agree. It was not a pity at all. She'd never had many children to play with, and she so loved games.

In fact, when the next carful of children arrived, she was ready, popping out from behind the pillar with a cheery "Boo!" One screamed and started running away, laughing. She gave chase, her arms passing through when she tried to tackle the child. Sure, there was a little nausea, but it was worth it.

Soon almost everyone got in on it, even the plague crew from the basement. Lady Button followed children around, complaining at them for climbing on the fountain, Thomas followed them around reciting poetry, Pat offered to be target practice, Robin did moonah dances, Mary shyly popped out to warn the witches to be careful, even the Captain commented how splendidly Alison and Mike were organizing their visits. Everyone was having a grand time. 

Except Julian. "Don't you dare!" scolded Alison, glaring at him, though his trouserlessness was hidden by a bush. He'd faded back through the wall into the house with a shrug. Kitty felt sad for him. It wasn't his fault he'd died that way! Or maybe it was, she hadn't been there when it happened and the other ghosts never let him go into any detail when it was his turn to talk about it.

Children kept coming to play long after Mike and Alison had run out of sweets, though mostly older ones. Jemima was a big hit with the teenagers. They kept trying to take photos and those little dance videos with her and shrieking with delight when it didn't quite work, just a ghostly blur on the screen and no sound at all. Jemima kept singing away, unfazed. Kitty should see if she'd like to play some time.

When the moon was high in the sky, Alison turned to Mike. "What do you say we pack it in?" The last group had been gone for at least fifteen minutes, and there were no sign of headlamps along the drive.

"Sure," he agreed, and Kitty sighed with disappointment. Already?

"How many do you think we had, all told?"

"At least a hundred, I'd say. Maybe a hundred and fifty."

"Wow," Alison said. "Imagine if we'd charged."

Mike's face slowly turned to wonder and excitement, and Alison's joined his right away. "We could charge," Mike said. "Couldn't we?"

"We could!" she said, grabbing his hands. "It is a _real_ haunted house, isn't it? We'd have the best haunted house in the area!"

"For kids, anyway!" Mike said. 

Kitty loved to see Alison and Mike so happy, and getting to play games all night? "That would be absolutely amazing!" she exclaimed.

"Totally!" Mike said.

"Yes!" Alison said, putting an arm around him.

Then Mike stilled. "Wait a minute." He turned slowly toward Kitty. "I can...see you."

"You can?!" Kitty said. She bounced closer to him. "Can you hear me, too?"

Mike gave her a slow, wondering nod.

"What?" Alison said. "You can?"

"You're...Kitty, right?" Kitty nodded vigorously. This was glorious! "And you're Pat..." Mike continued around the gathered group, "Lady Button...Robin...Mary...Thomas...the Captain?"

The Captain gave him a sharp salute.

When Mike faced the plague group, he faltered. "I'm afraid I don't know all of your names."

"That's all right," Nick said. "You can learn them. I'm Nick, and this is Nigel and—"

"Wait a second," Alison piped up. "Captain? What time is it?"

He pulled out his pocket watch. "Zero hundred hours on the dot. And 45 seconds, to be precise."

"This is fantastic!" Alison said. "Adults can see and hear you at midnight! We can do kids earlier in the evening, then adults after. Charge double for a midnight special!"

"Really get the house tricked out," Mike agreed, smiling. "With all of your help, of course."

The group chattered and gathered around more closely and Kitty made sure to get closest of all, just so that Mike would know how much she wanted to help. "You can count on me! I'm happy to help with whatever you need. Just ask!"

Mike blinked at her a few times, his face going confused. "You're happy to help with...what?"

"Anything!" Kitty repeated. "Anything at all!"

Mike sucked air through his teeth and looked at Alison. "Alison, um...problem."

"What?" Alison asked, blithely. But once she caught the look on Mike's face her excitement faded quickly. "Oh no. You can't—?"

"Yeah, they're gone again."

The whole group moaned in disappointment. "Damn," the Captain said, summing it up. He looked back at his pocket watch. "Zero hundred hours...and one minute."

Everyone was silent for a few long moments, mourning what could have been.

"We could still do something amazing for the children," Kitty suggested. 

"True," said Robin. "And earn lots shiny rocks."

"Even more shiny—I mean, even more money, I bet," Pat said. "We've got something special here. And a whole year to plan."

"You're right," Alison said, her shoulders lifting a little. "Even a kids’ haunted house could be a real moneymaker."

As Kitty watched Alison and Mike walk back toward the front door arm-in-arm, already bubbling over with ideas, she called out, "And a lot of fun!" That was the most important thing of all.

She let out a happy sigh, and followed the rest back into the house.


End file.
